Beyond the True King's Calling
by Shinjiro-kun
Summary: Noctis has paid with his life to deliver the Usurper unto Providence... but the power of the Ring has given him a new lease on life. Louise the Zero, having enough of her classmates' jeering, declared that she will summon a Familiar befitting the Vallière name. What adventures await the True King and the Zero? Semi-OP Noctis, might follow the anime plot, maybe except the romance.
1. The King and the Astral

**Author's Notes**

Hello, everyone! Shinjiro here. This is gonna be my first ever upload to FanFiction. I've always wanted to do a FoZ fanfic with OP characters (OC or from a crossover) or 'advanced technology out of place' in mind. Having just finished FFXV recently and finishing reading the only other FFXV-FoZ fanfic here by Xenongaf, I decided to give it a shot. I'm still trying to work out my sentence construction and word flavoring, so if you notice anything off, please don't be afraid to point it out! I'd love to review constructive criticism, to be able to work more on my storytelling skills.

 **CAUTION:** If you are still playing FFXV and do not want to see major spoilers aside from the title, TURN BACK NOW. I enjoyed the game after waiting for 10 years, and I don't want to destroy someone's immersive experience with the game by having them read what happens in the game without a big-ass warning. So yeah, **SPOILERS AHEAD**! This chapter is to be read with the assumption that the reader has finished the game.

Even though I finished watching Familiar of Zero so long ago, I decided to rewatch the first three episodes of Season 1 to get a feel of where to steer the story. I might be able to spit out a chapter once a month, more if I get motivated.

For now, please enjoy!

 **EDIT (9/12/2017): Lore-related story revision, regarding Bahamut referencing Brimir.**

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **I do not own Final Fantasy XV nor Familiar of Zero.**

 ** _Final Fantasy XV_** **is owned by Square-Enix.**

 _ **The Familiar of Zero**_ **is the property of Noboru Yamaguchi. (†)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER I: The King and the Astral**

"Kings of Lucis… come to me!"

By Noctis Lucis Caelum's calling, the Royal Arms of Lucis rained down around the audience chamber of the King's throne room. Rising from the ground were the Lucian Kings of Yore taking up their Royal Arms, and with a bit of a pause, one by one they struck the True King, to be absorbed by the Ring of the Lucii, the artifact that links the kings of the past to the mortal realm. Noctis grimaced in pain with each strike, letting out muffled grunts as he endured the pain. As he remembered the time he spent with his comrades and friends together, he firmly affirmed himself that his sacrifice is his fate. With the last of his strength, he finally offered up the sword that saved him from utter despair in the Imperial Keep of Zegnautus to its rightful owner. The 113th monarch of the Lucian bloodline, the King that came before him… King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII. With labored breathing, he gathered enough strength to say his final words to the King—his father.

"Dad… trust in me." Noctis pleaded to Regis.

With his upper body bending down from the pain, Noctis slowly raised his head and can only get a glimpse as King Regis's spirit brandished the blade, and in one fell swoop…

…pierced him in the chest, pinning him to the throne.

As his now lifeless body slumped forward, it did not take long until Ring of the Lucii let out a brilliant shimmer, engulfing the throne room. Noctis now found himself looking down the entrance to the Afterlife. Holding the very sword that ended his life, he raised it up to the air, and swung it down, warping to the depths of the afterlife.

Noctis arrived at the Afterlife, a place beyond time, space, and comprehension. An otherworldly hue of blue, spanning to what seems to be forever. Ardyn Izunia, the Accursed Usurper, floated across him. The very culmination of his destiny, now within his sights. Ardyn bowed, welcoming the True King in a mocking manner, when his grin turned to an expression of shock as he sees Noctis's friends and father beside him. As Noctis prepared for the final assault, Ardyn motioned to do the same, except Lunafreya's enchantment during her past encounter with the Usurper severely weakened him. With a clear path to absolute victory, Noctis tapped on the Ring's power. Feeling the scathing pain on his arm where he wears the Ring, he lets out a loud cry, unleashing the thirteen Kings of Yore from within, their Royal Arms at the ready. With the swing of his fist towards his enemy, he commanded the Kings to execute Ardyn.

Thus the Usurper was delivered unto Providence, disappearing as fragments of light.

Noctis, with his body crumbling into ashes, lets out words of relief as he had fulfilled his calling.

"It's finally over…"

…

…

…

…

Except, it wasn't.

The deceased cease to feel… to sense… to think. He knew that for a fact, but thoughts began to form in his mind, amidst the emptiness he feels due to the lack of his senses. Surrounded by the darkness, he was powerless to move. No matter how much strength he put to his limbs, he wasn't making any progress in getting anywhere. His voice was also not coming out, no matter what he said, no matter how loud he tried to shout. He feared that he would remain immobile and paralyzed for eternity.

And then, a deep, commanding voice filled Noctis's consciousness.

"O Chosen One, King of Kings."

He immediately recognized the voice, despite unable to see anything in total darkness. However, just as soon as he heard the voice befitting of a god, the darkness dissipated, revealing his surroundings. Recognizing the same blue hue spanning the seas of infinity… the Afterlife.

Before him now stood a humongous figure of overwhelming authority, clad in black armor lined with gold, surrounded by gigantic black swords lined with the same golden gleam as its wings…

It was none other than the leader of the Six Astrals—Bahamut, the Draconian Astral.

"By the power of the Providence, the Usurper ceases to be. The world, now bathed in the Light, sets forth to a new era, liberated of the Starscourge." Bahamut spoke.

Noctis remained silent, reflecting on the battles and hardships he and his friends had endured, to be strong enough to forever rid Eos of the Accursed and the Starscourge. The emotions of joy, pain, sadness, anger, and everything they had experienced, it came crashing to him in waves.

"The Light, so brilliant, that it has bestowed upon you another chance." the Astral continued.

"A second… chance?" Noctis confusingly asked. He truly believed that the Providence would mean the end of the True King and the Usurper, but Bahamut was quick to offer him an explanation.

"Such is the power of the Void. You have been granted life anew, unshackled from the calling of the True King." Bahamut continued. "The Ring that was passed on to you from the First King has gathered so much power than I have foreseen, that it has given you form once again."

"You mean to say, I'm not dead? What's this ring got to do with all th—" Noctis stopped as he felt for his finger where the Ring of the Lucii was, only to realize that it was no longer there.

"What you humans call the Afterlife is merely another fragment of the Void. The Crystal, which you have once entered upon is also a manifestation of, and a gateway to the Void, but only those of royal blood may enter. The Ring was also an artifact that I have crafted from the boundless energies of the Void, which is why it was possible to bind the souls of the Forebears and the living King together. Now that it has shattered, its powers have returned to this place and has assimilated upon your very soul as you have made your True Ascension."

Noctis pondered, deep in his thoughts. It was hard to believe, that despite having paid the blood price, here he stood, in control of his body and his thoughts. His astonishment quickly turned to worry as he thought of the fate of his friends—Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis—who have fought the demons outside the Royal Building to keep them at bay while he completed his Ascension.

"With the power than you have unleashed, it has caused the Crystal to resonate with another world where the power of the Void flows more freely than anywhere else." Bahamut proclaimed, breaking the King's trance. "Go forth, she beckons you now."

"'She'? What are you talking about? Go where?" Noctis asked.

"A prophecy of the world I speak of calls for a legendary guardian to be the sword and shield of a mage with an innate connection to the Void. She is now undertaking a sacred ceremony to summon her guardian of legend."

Noctis wasn't having any of this new revelation, as he was more concerned about his friends. "What about my friends? What happened to them?" he asked.

Bahamut thought of his words before giving the King an answer that would satisfy him.

"I regret to tell you that the power of the Ring only sufficed for the True King. Worry not, your comrades have stood fast long enough for them to witness the Providence."

At this point Noctis was feeling agitated, as he has been given a vague answer to the fates of his buddies, while being told that he is being called upon to another world, entirely different from his own. A place where no one knows him… a place that he knows nothing of. His mind began to drift away… thinking of a way to get back to where he belonged—home.

"Then can you bring me back to Eos? To where my friends are? They're gonna be pretty mad if they found out that their King that had sacrificed himself to save the world is off to another one without any sort of warning." Noctis jokingly said.

"Unfortunately, the will of the Crystal prohibits me to do as such… but finding out a way to go back is a matter of which only **you** can resolve. Be one with the Void once more, and the path will open." Bahamut replied.

"What? I haven't made my decision yet, and I'm not sure how to handle this…" Noctis anxiously said, not liking the direction of this conversation.

"For now, I bid you farewell, King of Kings. May the Light of the Crystal, the blessing of the Six, and the blood of the Forebears serve you in earnest. Until we meet again." Bahamut spoke, with his last words fading to oblivion, before he himself faded from Noctis's sight.

"Bahamut, wait—!"

Silence.

…

Complete silence.

…

Noctis can only look around as he was unsure of what happens next. He tried to float around the Void to no avail. Despite his will to move, an unknown force pinned him in place. Once again, he played the waiting game.

…

…

…

 **"… implore of yo..."**

For what seemed an eternity, Noctis suddenly heard a girl's faint voice.

 **"… divine, graceful, and powerful Familiar!"**

 _"Where could that voice be coming from?"_ Noctis thought.

He began to take notice of a small emerald light not too far from him, growing larger with each passing moment.

 **"Here I desire, and plead from the very depths my heart!"**

The voice grew louder as Noctis observed the light to be now slightly bigger than him and has stopped growing. It was big enough for him to pass through.

 **"By the power of the Pentagon of the Five Elements…"**

He approached the light and tried touching it. It created a ripple, which only further made him fascinated. Wanting to sate his curiosity, he stuck his hand in, only to be sucked in by it.

 **"In Brimir's divine name, answer to my call, o great Familiar!"**

…

…

…

With Noctis gone, the Draconian spoke with a foreboding tone.

"Brimir… for what purpose did you summon the True King? Mayhap, to right your wrongs…?"

* * *

 **Afterword**

That's it for now! Sorry if it was short, I wasn't sure what constitutes a good word count for an average FanFiction story chapter. This piece is intended to be an interlude from the end of the game to the beginning of the anime. As much as I wanted to make this longer, I had to settle for a measly ~1500 word chapter just so I could get the ball rolling. I tried to research the lore of FFXV and FoZ in addition from what I've already seen to make it feel more connected and genuine. I already have three chapters in the works, but if I get reviews for this story, I'll read them and try to adjust the flow of the story and other concerns with grammar, as well as make any minor spelling/grammar edits to this chapter. Thanks for reading my work! Until next time!


	2. Louise, the Zero

**Author's Notes**

Hello, dear readers! Sorry for the long wait between the first and second chapters. Lots of stuff happened since then. Persona 5, FFXIV, The International 7, and work in between... but I'm back with a fresh chapter of this FFXV x FoZ crossover fanfic! I must say, I definitely enjoyed reading the reviews and it has allowed me to improve on my grammar and text flavoring! After the first chapter, I binge watched the anime's first three seasons without realizing it. Ahahaha…

 **Mahesvara : **A heartfelt shoutout to my first reviewer! I was reading on Bahamut's backstory in the game and the moment I saw the word "Void", I thought it would be good material to work on to link both series together.

 **Sulphur99 :** Your advice on tenses really helped! After changing some grammatical insensibilities with the chapter, it looked better than when I first published it. Thanks a million!

 **gold crown dragon : **A summon will appear in this story at some point in the future. Stay tuned! :)

 **zrocker119 : **I had some trouble deciding on what age Noctis will be in this story, but after giving it some thought, I went with his manly, unshaven 30-year old form. /shot

 **hellfire45 : **I feel you, but it would make for better character development if I don't apply this kind of premise early on in the story. Although, I will take that into consideration!

And to all my other reviewers who left positive remarks, thank you so much! I feel even more motivated now to write this fanfic. :D

Before we begin, some plot conflicts for the future:

1\. **This will NOT be a Noctis x Louise** **fanfic, nor will it be a harem.** It would be OOC for Noctis (which I personally don't want to do), as I feel that he still has lingering feelings for Lunafreya even after her death. Now, this brings me to the problem of **having a love interest for Louise.** A loveless Louise is also an option, but I'm kinda bothered by it. I am now strongly considering creating an OC just to fill that gap, or working around something similar with Saito, but I'll be brainstorming for that problem. Any and all inputs will be appreciated.

2\. **Eos/Insomnian technology.** Since out-of-place technology played a crucial role in the anime, I am thinking of ways to reintroduce this without the story being too silly to the point of being unreadable. The earliest problem I will encounter this will be the porn manga that Kirche has as a family heirloom. **The Zero fighter will be replaced with a pleasant surprise.** What that is, you guys will find out, and hopefully be delighted by it.

3\. **Introducing the King's magic.** An early draft for this story was Noctis using magic in his duel with Guiche, but it left me with little room for character improvement. I have decided to push his display of magic further back, but by how much is what I'm trying to gauge. I figured it would be somewhere in the Fouquet arc, but any input would be appreciated.

Whew, that was a handful of text… apologies for that. Now, without any further ado… enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **I do not own Final Fantasy XV nor Familiar of Zero.**

 ** _Final Fantasy XV_ is owned by Square-Enix.**

 ** _The Familiar of Zero_ is the property of Noboru Yamaguchi. (†)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER II: Louise, the Zero**

It was a bright morning, the sun shining brightly over the skies of the continent of Halkeginia. It was the beginning of another academic year for the Tristain Academy of Magic, one of the continent's premier schools of magic, where the sons and daughters of aristocrats—nobility, military families and all— are sent to hone and nurture their innate affinity to magic. The Academy was built with five towers connected by walls of brick and stone, forming the shape of a pentagon. The main building is situated at the center, with paths connecting to all towers save for one at the northwest, and another path leading to the gates.

One student in particular began her morning like any other. Upon getting up from her bed, she stretched her arms upward and let out a momentary squeal. From her bed, she stood up and looked outside her window, greeted by the radiant sun and the vibrant scenery of the school yard. The sunlight shone on her slightly pale skin that gave her an aura of elegance. With brisk steps, she walked to her exquisitely-crafted dressing table and sat on the stool she pulled out from under the table. Taking a beautifully-made hairbrush from the side of the table, she began brushing her long, wavy pink hair that reached to her waist, disheveled from last night's slumber. Looking at the mirror with half-open eyes, she made sure to thoroughly brush her hair, straightening out any bed hairs that stood out. After taking care of her hair, she took off her undergarment dress, pulled a fresh one from her drawer, and put it on without any rush. She then picked out a uniform, putting the white polo shirt on first before her skirt that only covered up to the lower part of her thighs. Taking a pair of black stockings from her drawer, she went back to her bed and carefully put it on, pulling it up to her thighs and stretching it out a bit before it snapped back and fit snugly onto her slender legs.

After spraying an alluring perfume on herself that she picked up from the dress table, she took her brass circular pendant, engraved with a five-point star on its surface, from the dress table, which was meant to secure her shirt collar with the use of a thick string of red cloth. She took the string and wove it through the pendant, around her shirt collar, and through the pendant again, leaving the two ends hanging down evenly in front of her shirt. She then grabbed a black cloak from the drawer, and wore it on her back, securing it at the front with a button that gave off a golden gleam. She approached a table that was beside her bed, grabbed her finely-crafted wooden wand and held it for a few seconds, staring at it with such determination.

* * *

The pinkette made her way to her first class for the morning. As she passed by the hallways to the classroom in one of the towers, several murmurs from her schoolmates made their way into her ear.

"Hey, isn't that the Zero?" whispered one female student into another.

"How is she still here? Isn't she able to cast even the most basic of elemental spells?" murmured another.

"Careful, or Louise the Zero will take you out with an explosion! Not that she knows any other spell, anyway…" another smugly said.

She paid no attention to the loose words and kept a level head while taking her steps nearer to the classroom. The entire time she was walking to the classroom, unfriendly words about her from her schoolmates kept filling the air. Upon reaching the classroom door, she entered the room and approached one of the desks farthest from the elevated platform at the center of the half-circular room. She sat down and read one of her study materials while waiting for the instructor to arrive.

"Hey, Guiche… I wonder who our new instructors are this year…" said a female student with golden blond hair tied into several curls and a ribbon at the back of her head.

"My dear Montmorency, all that matters is your radiating beauty that leaves me longing for your love everyday!" said a male student with a similarly-hued blond hair in response to the female student.

"Heeeey, class is about to start! Why don't we talk about this later~?" said another tan-skinned female student with crimson red hair that flowed down to her waist, to one of the various male students talking to (and subtly ogling at) her.

"So noisy…" remarked a female student with short blue hair.

As the last of the students took their seats, the classroom door opened and a lady in her forties clad in a purple cloak and a purple wizard hat approached the elevated platform. Facing the students, she started to introduce herself.

"Congratulations on becoming second year students to everyone here! Before we begin, let me introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Chevreuse, a new professor here at the Tristain Academy of Magic. My elemental affinity is Earth, and my nickname is The Red Earth Chevreuse. My lectures will focus on Earth magic for this year." Chevreuse paused, then continued. "Can anyone refresh us what the four basic elements are?"

Shortly after, a hand holding a red rose was raised in the air.

"Gladly." The male blonde student exclaimed. "Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. And what a delightful coincidence, my element is Earth, just like yours, Madam! I am known as The Bronze Guiche de Gramont." He then held the rose with his lips and gave his golden hair a flick before he finished his answer. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise, Mr. Gramont." Chevreuse replied. "Earth is an essential element, since it governs the creation of all. To make it understandable for everyone here, I'll start out by having every one of you master the art of alchemy."

All the while saying this, she shuffled her hand behind her robe and produced three unremarkable pebbles that she probably picked from the academy grounds. After which, she pulled out her wand, pointed it to the pebbles, and began chanting a spell.

 _"Len, in, yan."_

Not long after, the pebbles began to rumble gently, gave off a bright gleam before it turned into a goldish material. This was met with exclamations of awe from the students. A red-haired girl in particular stood up, leaned forward and asked without hesitation, "Is that gold?"

"No, it's brass." Chevreuse immediately replied.

The red-haired girl sat back down. "Darn it." she said in a disappointed tone, her idea of instant riches struck down.

Picking up the brass pieces, the instructor produced another set of pebbles and laid them on the table. "Well then, let's have someone give it a go." she remarked, all the while looking for a student to break the ice. Looking around the classroom, she pointed at the pinkette, who was seated the farthest from the instructor.

"You. Yes, you over there," Chevreuse said while pointing at Louise. "What is your name?"

By this time the excited mood of the classroom turned into clamoring, as they began looking for the student Chevreuse pointed to and realized that the instructor had chosen Louise and not someone else.

"Louise," she said, then standing up to introduce herself properly. "Louise de la Valliere."

"U-um, Professor Chevreuse…" said a plain-looking blonde student while raising his hand in panic. "May I suggest you choose another student…?" he continued. The other students nodded in agreement to his suggestion.

"That's dangerous! No sooner would I do it myself than Louise over here!" the red-haired student protested.

"Dangerous? What makes alchemy so dangerous?" Chevreuse asked in bewilderment, unaware of the situation. All the while, Louise was clearly annoyed, and not wanting to let the situation drag on, agreed to do as the instructor originally called her for with a resounding "I'll do it! Please, let me!" She stepped down from where she sat and approached the table. As she did, most of the students began to move away from her, as if she was misfortune with legs, accompanied by louder clamoring. One student in particular, the blue-haired one, stepped out of the classroom, seemingly already knowing the outcome of this situation.

As Louise stood in front of the table, the redhead made one final plea to stop her, but Louise just brushed her off.

"Strongly visualize the metal that you wish to create." Chevreuse advised Louise.

Louise then pointed her wand at the pebbles as the students looked on in vexation. She repeated the incantation from earlier.

 _"Len, in, yan."_

The pebbles gave of an even brighter gleam than before, engulfing the whole room.

 ** _BOOOOOOOM!_**

* * *

[At about the same time, the Principal's Office]

At the highest room of the Academy was the Principal's Office, situated at its center. In the room, an white-haired old man with a long beard that displays his elderly state looked out of the window behind his desk, situated farthest from the doors. Seated at another desk is his secretary, a bespectacled woman with flowing green hair tied to a ponytail and clips at her sides. The secretary was sorting out paperwork for the Academy in silence as she carried out her duties.

The old man looks on outside as he smoked a pipe he was, but was spirited away by his secretary.

"Principal Osmond—or should I say, Old Osmond— I cannot let you do that, as your health is important." the secretary chided the old man, motioning the pipe to the stack of papers at her side as a paperweight.

"Ms. Longueville, must you take away the select pleasures an elder like me indulges in?" Osmond asked in resignation, sighing. "Ah! As I recall, Ms. Longueville, tomorrow marks the day when the second year students call forth their familiar spirits, yes? A familiar is a lifelong servant and a friend both, doubling as your eyes and ears." Osmond said, as he beckoned a white mouse to him that returned from Longueville. "My familiar spirit, Motsognir, lived with me for a long time." he continued, while he gave the mouse in his palm a nut as a treat.

The mouse squeaked, but the old man listened as if he understood the mouse.

"Ahh, I see. White. Pure white, you say?" he said in between perverted snickers. "I think she would look fantastic in black better tha—" he continued before he was cut off by his secretary.

"Old Osmond! Grrrr, another one like this and I'm reporting you to the royal palace—" Longueville threatened the Principal in a flustered tone before she was cut off herself by another event.

 ** _BOOOOOOOM!_**

There was an explosion from below, powerful enough to send tremors to the whole Academy, felt by the principal and the secretary alike.

"What was that?" Osmond asked.

"It's probably _her_ again…" Longueville replied, implying that she already knew who was responsible.

"The Valliere House's third born daughter…?" Osmond remarked, sharing the same sentiment.

* * *

[Louise's classroom]

The pebbles exploded with such force that most of the interior fixtures of the room were destroyed, windows included. In what could be described as nothing short of a miracle, none of the students were harmed at all, just sullied by the dirt hurled around by the explosion. Louise stood at the center, holding her now-broken wand and now with tattered clothing, coupled with a blank stare as she tried to comprehend the result of her magic. The students began uncovering their cloaks, having tried to protect themselves from the explosion.

"See?! This is what I was talking about!" shouted the redhead to Louise.

"A small mistake." Louise replied nonchalantly.

"Small?" remarked the plain-looking student.

"Always a zero success rate with magic!" Guiche shouted.

"Louise the Zero!" the redhead added.

Deflecting the remarks, Louise turned to Mrs. Chevreuse, only to find her lying down, almost unconscious but visibly shaken, mumbles departing her lips.

* * *

[Later, in the stairs leading to the Principal's Office]

Louise closed the doors of the Principal's Office, and began walking down the spiral stairs.

"How was it?" said a girl with a mocking tone.

Startled, Louise looked ahead and saw the redhead, Montmorency, and the blue-haired girl in the way.

"Off to the reflection room again?" the redhead continued. "Wait, expulsion? Was I right?" She and Montmorency burst out laughing at Louise.

Louise continued walking past them before giving them an answer.

"There was no punishment." she answered.

"Huh?! Why's that?" the redhead asked in surprise, with Montmorency sharing the same sentiment.

"They said the instructor bears part of the responsibility," Louise replied while still walking down. "Since she permitted me to use magic despite the whole class being against it."

This only served to fuel the two girls' laughter even more, but the blue-haired girl remained uninvolved with the conversation. "I was only having a bad day." Louise remarked.

"It's always like this, you know? Since you don't even have a proper nickname yet, Louise the Zero!" the redhead told Louise.

"S-shut up, Kirche!" Louise fired back at the redhead.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow's ritual. I truly wonder what kind of familiar you will summon~" Kirche told Louise in a mocking tone.

Louise gave both Kirche and Montmorency a spiteful glare that surprised both of them before making her bold declaration.

"I have the utmost of confidence when it comes to the Servant Summoning! Just you watch! I will call forth a divine, graceful, and powerful familiar that will be unrivaled, even with everyone else's combined!"

After having said her piece, Louise retreated to her room without further delay. Kirche and Montmorency looked at each other puzzlingly, before Kirche turned to the blue-haired girl.

"Tabitha… what do you make of it?" Kirche asked her.

"…No idea." Tabatha replied in monotone.

* * *

[Nighttime, Louise's room]

After having done her activities for the day, she approached her drawer and changed to her pink frilly nightgown, she brought her hair out from inside the nightgown, walked to her bed, and jumped on it facedown. Thinking back on her audacious statement, she came to regret it badly, thinking of the embarrassment that would ensue if she failed. She drifted to sleep with that thought the last in her mind.

* * *

[The next day, open school grounds]

All the second year students were gathered out in an open field within the Academy perimeter. Presiding the group is an instructor with balding hear and spectacles, wearing a sling bag and holding a quarterstaff.

"Today marks the day of the Summoning Ritual! This is the first test of your second year at this Academy, as well as the sacred day of your first encounter with your Familiar, whom you will spend the rest of your days with as a member of an aristocratic family." the instructor announced to the students.

Louise, listening intently to the instructor, gripped her wand tighter as if to mentally prepare herself.

"I can't wait to see how great of a familiar you will call forth today~!" Kirche teased Louise.

"Leave me alone." Louise replied.

The instructor began to call the students one by one to have them summon their familiar, taking note of each and every one's results, being impressed by some of them. Every summoning was met with anticipation from the students, with curiosity prevailing over most of them. All forms and manner of creatures were called forth, each one of them forming bonds with their masters immediately. Near the end of the queue, Guiche was called to come forward and summon his familiar. He approached the instructor and introduced himself.

"It is I, Guiche de Gramont, Professor Colbert." he said to the instructor. "My familiar shall be the most amazing amongst all in this Academy! So shall the Academy's fame ris—" he continued before he was cut short by Colbert.

"You're holding the line, Mr. Guiche. Enough prattling and get on with it." Colbert told Guiche.

"Ah, very well then." he said. "O great Primogenitor Brimir who leads us, bring forth a noble spirit who shall henceforth be my slave, The Bronze Guiche's slave!" The ground began rumbling at this point, and Guiche continued with his chant. "Heed thy divine summoning, O great Familiar!"

The ground beneath Guiche split open and a mound rose up. After a few moments, a familiar resembling a mole burst open the mound. Immediately, Guiche was hit with disappointment, and walked off to the side to contemplate about his familiar. All the while, Kirche stepped up to perform her ritual.

"Miss Kirche Zerbst! It's your turn next." Colbert said.

"Most certainly, Professor." Kirche replied. "Brimir, o Great Primogenitor, my name is Kirche, the Feveret! Call unto me my servant that burns with fiery passion!" Upon finishing her chant, a swirling pillar of fire appeared in front of her, and a red creature reminiscent of a lizard burst forth from the flames. It was on all fours, with a flame spewing steadily from its tail, and only very slightly bigger than Kirche. Sounds of awe echoed around the grounds, which broke Guiche from his concentration and made him turn his head to the commotion.

"Ah, this is—!" Colbert exclaimed in surprise. "Salamander, Miss Zerbst? Most impressive."

"But of course, Professor Colbert. Such a creature befits my runic name, after all." Kirche said, following with a sly grin.

Colbert looks around, checking to see if all the students have performed the ritual. "I take it that's everyone, then?"

"Not quite. Miss Valliere has yet to perform her ritual." Kirche answered, looking at Louise with a grin. Louise was taken aback by her stare, knowing its implications.

Louise stood at the center, with all eyes on her as she was the last one to perform the Servant Summoning. Unsavory words about her reputation began floating around as she mustered her concentration to perform the ritual.

"I did not forget your words, Louise. Certainly you will meet our expectations~?" Kirche mockingly asked.

"O-of course!" Louise quickly replied.

Relaxing herself and holding firm her wand, she began her chant.

 **"I implore of you."**

 **"My divine, graceful, and powerful Familiar!"**

 **"Here I desire, and plead from the very depths my heart!"**

 **"By the power of the Pentagon of the Five Elements…"**

 **"In Brimir's divine name, answer to my call, o great Familiar!"**

In no short time, a noise was heard from above them. Low-pitched rumbles, then a momentary gleam from the clear skies of Halkeginia. In the next instant, an object came crashing down at the spot where Loiuse had pointed her wand. It sent a shockwave, creating a crater around it and knocked everyone down except Colbert. The newly summoned familiars were slightly agitated by this disturbance.

"Wh-what was that?! What just happened?!" Guiche fearfully asked, with his familiar at his side.

Screams of panic began building up among the students, but Colbert was quick to assuage the fears of the students. "Everybody, remain calm! I will see what has happened. Please stand back." Colbert remarked.

As the dust cloud cleared from the point of impact, everyone began to see what crashed down on their summoning grounds.

A sword.

It was unlike anything they have ever seen. An intimidating, double-edged sword that tapered from the hilt to the buried tip, with the hilt of a very meticulous design. Affixed to the hilt were what seemed to be two wings of varying size, and a metal hand guard that curved inward to the handle and away from it. To them, it looked more of a cross between a sword and a rapier.

Everyone was still too tense to talk. Louise, who was closest to the impact zone, also looked in awe despite the several dirt stains on her clothes. Suddenly, the sword slowly vanished, leaving behind a blue glittery mist where it stood.

"Look… there's something appearing there!" Kirche quickly exclaimed, pointing to where the sword was.

A young man in black clothing unlike any other to them now materialized on the ground, his chest at the place where the sword landed. He also glowed blue, before the aura slowly faded away.

All the students begin to gather around the man, including Colbert, when suddenly…

"I-Is that a… h-h-human?" stuttered Montmorency.

"Ack!"

The young man reached upward, gasping for air and felt for his chest. Louise, Colbert, and the students took a step back, startled by the sight before them. The man assumed a sitting position, assessing what happened to him and what's around him.

 _"This is… where is Dad's sword? Did it disappear?"_

Not before long, the students now looked at Louise for her failure to summon a proper familiar.

"Ha, Louise the Zero summoned a plebeian for a familiar!"

"I bet she hired this plebeian from the markets to act the part! Oh, my sides!"

"Ah, that's the Zero we definitely know!"

"Oh my, you _certainly_ have met our expectations, Louise! Ahahaha!" Kirche said in between her giggles.

The jeering has returned, with this event surely to be the academy's hottest school topic tomorrow.

The man, now having regained control of his senses, tried to listen in to what the people in uniforms and robes are saying.

 _"Where am I? What—and what language are they speaking? Old Lucian? Tenebraean? Maybe even Niflheimian? Ergh…"_ Noctis thought, as he changed to a kneeling position.

With him now deep in his thoughts, Louise spoke up.

"Professor Colbert, may I please repeat the ritual? I will be able to do it properly this tim—"

"I'm afraid I cannot permit that." Colbert sternly replied.

"B-but Professor, why not?" Louise asked with a flustered expression.

"This is a sacred ceremony that would determine a mage's very future. Redoing it would mean desecrating the very ceremony, and Brimir himself. Regardless of what you think, whether you like it or not, he has been destined as your familiar." Colbert stopped for a quick pause. "You will have to finish the ceremony now, or I might have to let your sisters and Principal Osmond know of your insolence."

"Professor Colbert's right, you know!" said one of the students.

"Go for it, Louise!" egged another.

"O-okay…" Louise said to herself in a low voice.

She then began to approach Noctis, who was still kneeling. He tried to back away, but he could not move, lacking the strength to do so. The jeers of Louise's classmates remained audible in the background as she kneeled and inched closer to the man in black.

"You better consider yourself lucky, as no other aristocrat would do this for you, you plebeian." Louise said. " **My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere.** " she began chanting to finish the ritual. " **Pentagon of the Five Elements… give this creature your blessing and let it become my Familiar Spirit!** "

Louise leaned in closer and gave the man in black a long kiss to the lips. Noctis, his thoughts still scattered, had no time to push her away and his eyes opened wide in surprise. She then took a step back, hoping that the ritual has ended.

"Well done, Louise. Looks like the Summoning went off without a hitch!" Colbert said to her.

"AAAAGGGHHH!"

 _"My body is burning up! What's happening to me?!"_ Noctis cried out in his mind.

"Shut up, you. It's the Familiar Runes, it'll all be over soon." Louise said to him.

Noctis let out a painful cry, as he held his left hand in agony. His left hand began to shine, and runes began appearing, imprinting itself on the skin of his backhand. The blue aura from before has begun to surround him once again, this time thicker and more noticeable. Along with that, Colbert made out the faint apparitions of several objects—weapons—circling the familiar. Louise noticed the objects too, but her mental condition was not in a good shape to ascertain their exact nature. However, something they both noticed was his eyes giving a faint glow of purplish crimson.

 _"There it is again… the blue aura surrounding him. What could it be…? And his eyes…"_ Colbert thought.

The apparitions that surrounded Noctis dissipated soon after. In what seemed to be like forever, the pain stopped, and Noctis dropped to the ground, visibly exhausted from this ordeal. Colbert chanced a glimpse of the runes on his left hand:

ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ

 _"What peculiar runes. I will have to find out more about this at the library…_ _and probably consult this matter with him._ _"_ Colbert mentally noted to himself. "Louise, you should take your familiar back to your room. I will inform your other professors of your current commitment. You may come back tomorrow for breakfast." he said to Louise.

"O-Okay… Professor Colbert." Louise replied.

* * *

 **Afterword**

It's a wrap! I do deeply apologize again for this 4-month gap between the chapters, because I bought Persona 5 after I published Chapter 1, and I couldn't drop the game for a long time. After that came Final Fantasy XIV, which I spent quite a long time to get to the endgame, and I went to visit Seattle for The International 7 two weeks ago. Work has also been an issue, I've been basically forced to work too many hours to get things done, this fic included. I'll try to make it up by releasing Chapter 3 in a much shorter gap. Also, I do apologize in advance for the content for this chapter, it's basically a shorter retelling of the first half of Episode 1 to at least refresh those who haven't watched the anime for a long time. I figured it also helps set the tone for this chapter. The next chapter onward is where the meat of this fic will be; having laid the settings for both worlds in two chapters, it is time to depart from the FoZ canon.

 **I've also been working on a FoZ fic with an aviation theme. Chapter 1 for that is in the works! However, I will give this crossover a higher priority than that.**

Thanks again for the patience to wait for this chapter, and for reading my work! Until next time, readers!


	3. Otherworldly Royalty

**Author's Notes**

Hello, my dear readers! I thought I'd begin the chapter with a dream sequence as an allusion of sorts regarding things to come in this fanfic. I read the reviews and realized that I needed this chapter out right away to be clear with the direction this work was going.

 **DarkBlight, Artyom-Dreizhen, Kryvsun, Mangahero18:** My apologies if it looked that way, but I wanted to lay down the setting and the foundation of the story first before splitting from the canon.

 **Rogue Plyon** : One thing I read about the Gandalfr runes during my research was that it granted the branded person the mastery of the scientific applications of technology, mostly related to weapons, so I'm not necessary limiting myself to his Royal Arms. Something along the lines of Magitek weaponry and practical applications of his power to conjure his Royal Arms at will, but we'll see _._

 **KaiserUltima:** Same as above, and yes, his _Armiger Arsenal_ will make its appearance in a future chapter.

I'm not gonna keep you guys any longer. Enjoy!

 **EDIT (9/6): Some lore checks and revisions, again. Rune placement on right hand was wrong. Corrected to left hand.**

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **I do not own Final Fantasy XV nor Familiar of Zero.**

 ** _Final Fantasy XV_ is owned by Square-Enix.**

 ** _The Familiar of Zero_ is the property of Noboru Yamaguchi. (†)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER III: Otherworldly Royalty**

Noctis opened his eyes, and he was greeted with the sight of an endless field of blue flowers that seemed to stretch out for miles around, with floating islands covered in lush green adorning the horizon. The sun was high up, the blue sky was clear, and the vast sea of dark blue served to contrast the sky above. Bells of nostalgia rang and homesickness welled deep in his mind. At a loss of words, he almost seemed ready to cry.

" **Sylleblossoms** …? Is this… _Tenebrae_?"

As if a tear was about to fall out at the corner of his eye, he spotted a blotch of white not too far off. Focusing his gaze on the discontinuity among the blue, it was a woman wearing an elegant white dress, with long blonde hair gracefully flowing along with the wind. The woman was looking far out in the horizon, at the direction of a place Noctis knew too well: _home_.

More importantly, he immediately recognized who the woman was, and without skipping a heartbeat, began to run towards her. Just as soon as he made his first couple of steps, the blue sky turned green, and shone so bright at it overwhelmed Noctis's eyes. In an attempt to reach out to the woman with his voice, nothing would come out of his lips, and his consciousness had drifted away…

…and thus the King's fleeting dream came to an end.

* * *

Noctis opened his eyes, and he woke up to a dimly lit room, illuminated by a single candle at a table in the middle of the room. A single tear dropped from the side of his eye, realizing that it was all a dream that had passed so quickly. Having regained rest, he was able to move his body more than before, but the details of what happened to him back then still eluded him. Before getting up, he appraised his surroundings, searching for anything that is notable. For starters, he still donned his royal suit. Dirtied, but still in good shape. He also took notice of the bed of hay he was lying in at that moment. However, before he began to search the room in earnest, a pinkette began talking to him which he did not notice until now. She spoke in a tongue that he did not genuinely recognize from the several that he already knew of from his studies in his childhood.

"Well, you're finally awake! I suppose the headache you gave me during the ritual was but a small bother from what's to come, since I have no other choice but to take you as my Familiar, lest my sisters think any more less of me." the pinkette said.

Louise looked down upon Noctis with demeaning eyes, like someone who was unsure of where to toss their filthy garbage. "You were grumbling so much in your sleep, it was driving me nuts! And the fact that I cannot understand you only adds more trouble." she said.

Noctis stood up and patted his garments to clear them of hay. With Louise's words still incoherent, he tried again to ask Louise whether she understood him or not, which was only met with incoherent ramblings.

"Gaaaaahhhh, this is so frustrating! If we cannot have any meaningful conversation, I might as well shut you up." Louise angrily said while she grabbed her wand. "What was that Silence spell they taught last year…? Ah! _Ansul. Bel. An._ Cast your voice unto silence by my command."

The moment Louise finished her spell, a small explosion went off of the middle of her room, filling it with smoke. She and Noctis got knocked back by the force of the blast, but with the smoke covering everything, Noctis wasted no time in making his way out of the room, for his own sake. As the smoke cleared, Louise tried to make sense of another one of her failures. Brushing aside that, she searched around the room looking for her Familiar, only to find the door of her room slightly open.

"Eh…? Where'd my Familiar go…? Did it just run away? Are you kidding me?"

Making his way down through the dimly-lit corridor of rooms and down some spiral stairs, Noctis began his preliminary assessment of his situation. The first thing he wanted to be sure of was the level of technology of whatever place he's in at the moment.

"Infrastructure of wood and stone… not a single thing so far that would be comparable to Insomnian technology, hell, not even the outer cities like Lestallum and the outskirts… am I in some far-flung nation in a remote corner of Eos?" he mumbled to himself.

As he descended to another floor of whatever place he was in right now, he heard voices from the corridor, and quickly hid behind cover to identify the people engaged in conversation.

"Tch, more of them already? Even with the darkness outside, I guess it can't be helped that there are those kind of people. And their clothes… similar to school uniforms of some sort minus the cloak, I guess." Noctis said under his breath.

The people in question were Guiche, who was talking to a girl who was a bit shorter than him, and she was evidently lovestruck with the blonde and his poetic words of praise for her. Noctis cringed a bit with the somewhat overly displays of affection the two were showing, although when he heard some of Guiche's apt choice of words, he can't help but wonder something was off. Teens and affection notwithstanding, he got his mind back to his goal of leaving the place.

For the first time in a long while, Noctis turned to his Royal Arms to allow him a quick escape through the hallway. Something small and light that would not make a noise when thrown across the air.

"All right," Noctis whispered. "[ **Sword of the Wise** ] _._ "

The first of his many Royal Arms, the first to save him from this dreaded situation in an unfamiliar land. It was only fitting, he thought. Concentrating on the image of the sword, he drew upon it in front of him from thin air with his right hand, sliding his left across the length of the blade, before disappearing into the very same air it came from. From his cover, he peered just slightly out onto the far end of the corridor, looking for a point to warp through.

"Okay, let's see… ah, that's a good warp point." he thought.

With Guiche and Katie still locked in conversation, he quickly jumped from cover, conjured and threw his sword at the direction of the stairs going down at the opposite end of the corridor. The blonde quickly flinched, bracing for what will hit him, but the blade disappeared just as it passed by the two, and Noctis disappeared with a blue sheen before Guiche even had a chance to see the figure that came out.

Both Noctis and blade in hand rematerialized near the steps and he rolled forward, pausing for a bit to regain his footing. Making a swift glance at Guiche's direction, he then made his way down the stairs without making too much noise. Meanwhile, the startled pair were still trying to register what happened.

"D-Did you see that?! Someone threw something at me and it just… disappeared." Guiche said.

"Weird… I saw something moving too, but I never made out what it was." Katie followed.

Louise came down the higher stairs not long after, and saw a flabbergasted Guiche and Katie staring at her direction.

"Hey, Guiche! Did you see my Familiar anywhere?!" Louise shouted.

"Ah, if it isn't Louise the Zero! Did the Familiar run away from her inept master? How tragic of a tale, ahaha—" Guiche replied before being cut off.

"Not now! Help me out here, he can't be far off." Louise shouted back with a pout on her face.

"Fine, fine. Lead the way, Louise." Guiche replied.

Having made his way down to the ground floor, Noctis once again hid behind cover to survey the big circular room. At the middle was a fountain with two people sitting beside it. One was a redhead with a voluptuous figure, and a well-built man beside her. He could hear bits of flirtatious words between them, somehow even more risqué than the pair before them, and he felt a bit of pain in his broken heart, reminded of things that he would not be able to experience. In hindsight, he was well aware of the sacrifices he and all those dear to him have paid to bring about the peace.

"These kids sure have it easy…" Noctis said as he sighed.

Noctis spotted the exit at the far end of the room, with the two in the way. Running out of options to consider, he planned to warp-strike at the top of the fountain and quickly execute another near the exit. With his Royal Arm still at the ready, he slowly exited from his cover and assumed a throwing stance. Ascertaining his aim, he threw the blade at the top of the fountain, and both Noctis and the blade disappeared and reconjured at the target, with the blade in hand and him balancing at the top of the fountain. Kirche caught notice of the sound Noctis made at where he was and looked at that direction, and were now unaware that he was on top of them.

"Did you hear that?" Kirche said.

"The only thing I'm hearing right now is your beautiful voice echoing this room, mhmhmhm…" the man replied.

With both of them preoccupied, Noctis threw his blade at the direction of the exit, warped there and slowly made his way out. Not long after, Louise, Guiche, and Katie made their way down to the fountain, the same expression of frustration in the pinkette's face. Spotting Kirche, she had the same query as she did with Guiche.

"Hey, Kirche! Did you see my Familiar anywhere, or pass by here?!" Louise shouted.

"My, my, your Familiar running away from you? You are certainly a troublesome lot, Louise." Kirche said as she giggled. "Come to think of it, that noise from earlier may have been the one you were looking for. If he was trying to get out, he can't be too far off."

"Help me out too! I've already had my fair share of troubles today, and I hope this will be the last." Louise said.

"Very well then Louise, my darling and I will follow you out to the school grounds. Shall we?" Kirche beckoned.

"Wait 'till everyone hears about this tomorrow! Ahahaha!" Guiche joyously said.

Louise grumbled faintly as she ran off towards the exit with the rest of the group.

* * *

[Outside the school grounds]

As Noctis stepped out of the building he was in and walked a few dozen from the door, he got a glimpse of the evening sky of the place he got himself into. Countless stars dotted the sky, each one giving off a bright glow, the view untarnished by skyglow that plagued the busy nights of Insomnia as he remembered it. However, a rather distinct feature of the night sky caught his full attention.

"The Moon…? Wait— two? Impossible…" Noctis said in shock.

In plain view were two enormous moons of different sizes high above the Halkeginian night sky, the smaller one exuding a light crimson glow and the larger one beside it with a blue hue. Both their glow reflected on Noctis's battle-worn, weary eyes. He was now finally convinced that he had been sent to another world… or _summoned_ , as a certain pinkette would say it. Looking at the moons only served to remind him of the one he held most dear.

"Luna… if only you're here to see it now…" he thought.

As Noctis continued to gaze at the twin moons, Louise and her group exited the fountain room and found the man in black locked eyes with the twin moons in the sky, his back facing them. As they made their steps down, Louise already began thinking of the words she has to say to her errant Familiar.

"You! Not only do I get a plebeian as a Familiar, you also ran away from my room! Why do I get the worst luck of all? This is so frustrating, my sisters will definitely have some words with me once they find out about this." Louise shouted to Noctis.

Noctis's ears perked, as if he understood the words of irritation clearly. Not long after, he slowly turned around and faced the group and his weary gaze met Louise's eyes fraught with exasperation. Calmly, he spoke to Louise using words she can finally comprehend.

"… Might you be responsible for bringing me here to this foreign world?" Noctis asked Louise.

"W-What…?! I can understand you?!" Louise asked back in shock. She thought back to the Silence spell she casted before, and knowing that her failure actually allowed him to be understandable left her with mixed feelings inside. Nevertheless, this opportunity would mean that she would at least be able to at least know something about her Familiar. Trying to break the tense silence, Guiche stepped forward with his wand ready. The rest of the group looked at him, waiting for his next move.

"Seriously, after levitating you to her room, I would at least expect a thanks, as should a plebeian give to an aristocrat like me… But I guess a second time wouldn't hurt. Behold, Katie… to my graceful magic!" Guiche said to Noctis, with the next sentence obviously directed to the female that was with him in an act of showing off.

The blonde pointed his wand to the man in black, as if trying to lift him off the ground with the gesture he made with his wand. Sporting a grin, he felt confident that he would be able to cast his magic on him with ease, but nothing was happening to Noctis. Instead, what sounded like a faint shattering sound of glass came from Noctis's direction, and a very quick pulse of faint blue light emanated from him.

"B-But how…? It worked the last time…!" Guiche gasped.

"Boy, I am well aware of your intentions with your spell, and that won't work, as long as _I_ know." Noctis emphasized to Guiche.

"Silence, plebeian! Who are you to call me, an aristocrat, a boy?!" Guiche shouted back, trying to salvage his slightly wounded pride.

"Man, you guys sure love flaunting around your status as nobility. Never had any of that kind of stuff back home, so I will never understand it." Noctis said.

"The insolence…" Guiche muttered. "…the insolence of this fool! I would've let it slide if you _just_ apologized to me. I planned on getting this done quickly, but it looks like I'll have to use some force."

He took his rose-wand and waved it in front of him, releasing a petal and summoned a golem from the ground, made entirely of metal, brandishing a spear. The golem assumed a battle stance as it awaited orders from the mage who summoned it.

"Hey, you! Familiar! Stand down, you better apologize to him before I make you do it. And you, Guiche! I know he had some bad choice of words for you, but please don't resort to something like this! Who knows what will happen if the Headmaster finds out!" Louise pleaded.

"This one needs to be taught a lesson! Go forth, my Valkyrie!" Guiche said, ignoring Louise's pleas as he commanded the golem to charge at Noctis with the spear. With inhuman speed, the golem rushed him as commanded.

"Very well, then." muttered Noctis.

Focusing on the image of the sword his father gifted to him on his 16th birthday, worked and improved upon so many times by the master mechanic Cid Sophiar to perfection, he conjured the [ **Ultima Blade** ] from thin air as he quickly charged the golem and sliced it in half by the torso. The golem—rather, both its upper and lower body—dropped to the ground, unmoving. He held the sword for a good while, with its peculiar feature of foreign machinery by the hilt having caught the attention of the group. Grasping the sword, Noctis reassumed his standing position, masterfully waving the sword a couple times to get the familiar feeling back before dematerializing it into small crystal-like objects and disappearing completely. With a calm voice, Noctis introduced himself before the group of mages.

"Now that we can understand each other, allow me to introduce myself. I am Noctis Lucis Caelum, King of Lucis, 114th of the royal Lucian bloodline."

The group's eyes widened because of the audacious claim of the man in black, even more so Guiche as he saw his golem sliced in twain with such ease like a knife through butter.

"…or rather, _was_. I am no longer with my own kingdom… no longer with my friends, nor anybody else that I knew or cared about. I am but a King in name."

Guiche's expression of surprise quickly turned to anger as prepared to summon more golems. "A king?! Bullshit, don't mess with me! Here comes more of my servants! Have at you, pretender!" he shouted. He swung his wand in quick succession and released six petals, summoning six golems from the ground around Noctis and gestured them to attack him.

Brandishing the [ **Sword of the Just** ], Noctis assumed his battle stance as he stood in place, waiting for one of the golems to strike. Just as soon, one of them thrust their spear towards him, but he dodged it near-instantaneously, as if he _phased_ through the attack. He struck down the attacking golem with a swing of the sword. Looking at one of the other golems, he threw his sword at it, with both the sword and Noctis disappearing with a blue afterglow before reappearing at one of the golems, with the sword buried through it. He pulled it out of the golem and did an aerial backflip, warp-striking at another golem, killing it instantly. He made short work of three more golems. After killing the fifth, he changed his Royal Arm to the [ **Sword of the Father** ], initiated a warp-strike to the last golem that was in front of the group, slashed it multiple times, raised the sword by his chest, and cleaved it cleanly by its center. The golem split in half, revealing the mages behind it with their jaws dropped way down and the expressions of fear visible in their faces.

"Impossible… how could he use three different weapons in such a short time…?!" Guiche exclaimed.

"Still unconvinced, I see." Noctis said to them. "If I may."

He and the runes on his left hand began to radiate an azure glow, and his eyes gave off a purple glimmer. Holding his father's sword, he swung it to his side, instantly changing to the [ **Ultima Blade** ] as it went, held it up with his two hands, pointy end facing down, and buried it partway to the ground. At that moment, thirteen crystalline weapons of varying types rained down out of nowhere behind him in a semi-circle, each one giving off a blue glow. Not long after, thirteen azure apparitions rose from the ground, picked up the weapons, each one wielding them mightily, and floated above the ground. The apparitions were clad in knight's armor and helmets that covered their faces. Noctis's forebears had come upon his behest, and manifested themselves before the surprised mages.

"Behold, they are but a numbered few of the Kings of Yore. All of them have come before me, each one of them bearing the same blood as I. I do not take kindly to being treated a… _plebian_. Pray tell me why I should not consider you my enemies and strike you all down where you stand." Noctis said to them.

Katie and Kirche began to quiver in fear with his threat, while Guiche and the man with them held their wands at the ready, also visibly shaking with Noctis's display of power. As Louise tried to close her mouth from the shocking revelation, she struggled to find the right words to say, lest her Familiar turned against her on the very day she summoned him. Feeling the pressure, she no longer spoke with her mind but with her heavy heart.

"I… I—" Louise slowly said as she began to break down in tears in front of Noctis, her gaze pointed down. "I have been a failure all my life…! I struggled to cast even the most basic of spells, and everyone at this Academy ridiculed me for it, going so far as to call me a Zero. As much as I hate to say it… it's true! Even to this day the spells that others were able to cast so easily has been a challenge to me. There were times I felt like I was on the verge of being disowned by my family for my failures… and today's ritual became something of a low point for me. I should be at least be able to summon a Familiar like what the others got… but you came here. I want to believe I did not fail this time with your coming! I want to believe!"

" _Mother… Father… my sisters… forgive me for how weak I am…!_ " Louise thought as her words echoed throughout her mind.

"Louise…" Kirche said with sadness.

Noctis slightly raised his brow.

"Please, help me become a fine mage befitting the Valliere name!" Louise pleaded Noctis.

…

A long silenced ensued between him and the group.

…

Noctis let go of his grip on his weapon and it disappeared before them. He extended his left hand outward, his palm facing the apparitions. The Kings of Yore dissipated into thin air as small crystalline objects, and his glowing blue aura faded into nothing, and his eyes lost their purple glow. He then put his hand back down, with the runes having lost their glow as well.

"… Louise, was it?" Noctis said to break the awkward silence. "Your anguish reminded me of myself, as I was long ago."

Louise raised her head and her eyes met with his. Noctis warped in front of Louise, and she was taken aback by his sudden appearance in front of her.

"All right, then… I will help you with your goal, but only on one condition." he said.

The group gulped in unison as they awaited his terms.

"There must be a reason for my coming here, and I plan to find that out myself. If you have a problem with me pursuing my own agenda, then… I will not hesitate to leave you to fend for yourself. That is my only condition."

Louise nodded slightly without saying a word, signaling her affirmation.

" _Besides, Bahamut's basically asking me to be someone's meat shield... not something I'd prefer to be. Maybe there's meaning behind that Astral's words…_ " Noctis thought.

"Before anything else, let us return to Louise's room, where I will be able to recount my story, and answer any questions you all might have. I also have some questions regarding this world, so I think it's a fair exchange." Noctis said. "Well then, Louise… I'll have you lead the way back. Looking at the size of the building, I might get lost easily."

"O-Okay… follow me." Louise faintly said, as she began to head back to the building. Noctis followed behind her, leaving Guiche, Katie, Kirche, and the man she was with behind.

"This sounds like a load of crap to me… but after tonight's spectacle, I will have to listen to what he has to say." Guiche said.

"This was too much for me… I'll quietly retreat to my quarters and pass this off as a dream, Lord Guiche. I'll tell no soul about what happened here. Well then… I'll bring the soufflé as I promised and I'll see you tomorrow!" Katie said to him, leaving for her room thereafter.

"What an interesting man, I should say~" Kirche uttered in excitement. "I'll be coming with you, Guiche."

Kirche then looked at the man beside her. "Sorry darling, but I'll see you some other time!" she said.

As Noctis followed Louise, a stray thought drifted to his mind.

" _Dad… what would you have done?_ " he thought.

* * *

[Louise's room]

Upon entering the room, Noctis took one of the chairs by the table at the center and sat down on it, his arms on the table. Louise sat at her bed, mentally preparing herself. Guiche and Kirche entered not long after, with both of them taking a chair for themselves and sat down.

With his brow furled, Guiche was the first one to ask Noctis a question.

"I don't buy it. You say you're a king, but we were taught the important monarchs of this world, and you are certainly not one of them. Who _exactly_ are you?" he asked.

"Like I said… I am Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV, King of Lucis. You guys can call me Noctis if you want. I hail from the world of Eos, of which we only have one moon, as I recall your world has two. I shouldn't even be alive right now, but Bahamut told me that the powers of the Ring brought me back, and the next thing I know, I'm in this world through some strange connection. Inexplicable as it seems, that's what happened to me." Noctis answered.

"Another world? Unbelievable…" Louise said.

"Bahamut…? Ring…?" Kirche asked.

"Without going to detail, Bahamut is one of the six gods my world worships. _Astrals_ , as they are called. I have made a covenant with each one of them, but I had to vanquish three of them… Titan, Leviathan, and Ifrit. Let's just say… they weren't on speaking terms with me." Noctis calmly said.

"First you say you're a king, now you tell me you have slain _gods_?! Primogenitor help me, He ought to smite you this instant…!" Guiche said in shock.

"Do I look like I'm joking, boy? I have done so before, and if needed be, I will do so again." Noctis calmly said.

"I have a name, and it's Guiche…!" he said as gritted his teeth slightly, holding any more words back.

"What about this Ring that you mentioned?" Louise asked.

"The Ring was an heirloom that was bestowed by the Astrals to the first king, The Founder. It was passed down generation by generation, and I was the last one to wear it. The ring absorbed the souls of the previous kings as they died, and all their powers and knowledge were contained in it. After my final battle, it crumbled into nothingness, but Bahamut said that its powers made me whole once more and were absorbed by my soul. Believe what you all will, I do not expect you to do so." Noctis said.

He raised his right hand and conjured the [ **Sword of the Father** ] for everyone to see. "This was my father's sword. My bloodline allows me to call forth from anywhere by my will, the weapons of my forebears… every single one of them, and sheathe them back unto nothingness. This selfsame power allows me to warp to where I throw my weapon… as you all have seen firsthand. As of now, I can summon thirteen others, but I will be able to summon every one of them as my strength fully comes back to me in time." He then dismissed the sword.

"Ah, it's the same sword from the Familiar Summoning Ritual!" Louise exclaimed.

"Now that I got a good look at it, you're right…" Kirche said in agreement.

"Warp? Weapons out of thin air? Extraordinary… such power brought down my golems with ease…" Guiche said.

"By the way… where did you get your clothing? It has this enigmatic feel… and it really looks good on you!" Kirche complimented.

"This… this suit is a part of my royal garment. It has been tailor-made for me after my ascension as King, and is imbued with special protective magics. The whole thing was too heavy, so I wore this for a while." Noctis answered.

"Ehhh, a 'suit'? Yours is truly a different kind, unlike what the royalty in this continent usually wears. In any case, looking at you wearing it does give off this mysterious air around you…" Kirche said, expressing her admiration.

"Now it's my turn. Tell me everything you know about this place, Louise." Noctis said to her.

"U-Um… you are in the Tristan Academy of Magic, where nobles and aristocrats attend to study magic and become mages. Tristain is but one of the nations in the continent of Halkeginia. Albion, Germania, Gallia, and Romalia are the nations that make up the rest of the continent. And… today was the Familiar Summoning ritual, where all the second year students called forth their Familiars. Kirche here summoned a salamander, while Guiche's was… an oversized mole, if that's what you could call it." Louise answered.

From the front door, Kirche and Guiche's Familiars entered the room and looked at Louise, as if they heard her calling them in. Noctis looked at their direction and a slight expression of surprise formed in his face.

"But it's strange, for another human to be a Familiar… you _really_ didn't pull him from the markets, did you Louise?" Kirche jokingly poked at Louise.

"Th-That's not it, I tell you! Really…" Louise replied as she pouted.

"Magic? And what's with this Familiar business anyway? Why is it important?" Noctis asked.

"You see Noctis, magic is what separates the aristocrats from the plebeians. The former are those capable of casting magic, thus we study here so that we may hone our skills by the time we graduate from this Academy. On the other hand, the latter are those who were not born or blessed with magic, and so this country—and the others—follow a hierarchical system placing the royalty at the top, followed by the aristocrats, and finally the plebeians at the bottom. I cannot say for certain if your abilities are indeed magic, but they are unlike anything that I've seen or what they taught us in the Academy." Guiche explained to him.

"Furthermore, a Familiar is a mage's servant the moment it is called forth, and they serve them for the rest of their lives. They are bound to their masters by their runes, such as the one on your left hand." Louise added.

Noctis looked at the back of his left hand where runes of a foreign design were inscribed, and his expression turned into one of disapproval.

"Until death?" Noctis said. "Unfortunately, serving you until my dying breath does not sit well with me. I only agreed to help you become a better mage, not being your butler. Trust me, I would make a _very_ bad butler."

Louise frowned with his words, unable to protest his intentions. She has seen what he was capable of, and attempting to assert her dominance over him would most likely get her killed, she thought.

"In any case, this has been a long night for all of us, and it's getting very late. Why don't we all go to sleep tonight and continue this tomorrow? Unless, you want to come with me to my room, Noctis? I'll make better company than your mage there~" Kirche queried, all the while brazenly seducing the king.

"Sigh, no thanks. Last thing I need is to be a heartbreak." Noctis said as he shot down Kirche instantly.

"Oho, playing at servant with Louise already? My, my… but I won't be deterred so easily! Let us be off, Flame!" Kirche said as she left the room with her Familiar giving a growl and following behind her.

"You dummy! Why did you have to say tha—" Louise embarrassingly asked Noctis before being cut off.

"It's not you, it's—" Noctis gritted his teeth and stopped himself from saying his lover's name to spare himself from any grief, but he reaffirmed himself that his heart was only for her, even though she laid beyond his reach. He then let out a big sigh.

"Noctis?" Louise called for him out of concern.

"It's nothing. I better get some sleep for tomorrow. I'll just sleep on the floor," he said. "I've been in worse."

"Though your power speaks for itself, I will still take your tale with a grain of salt for now. Until then." Guiche said as he left with his Familiar and closed the door behind him.

Louise then stood up from her bed and took out her nightgown from her drawer.

"Turn around, Familiar! I'll be changing my clothes. And don't you dare look!" she said.

"All right, all right. And it's Noctis." he said. He looked outside the window to the school grounds.

Louise tossed aside her uniform and wore her nightgown. Noctis could hear the rustling of her clothes, but he did not dare to look behind him and defile a young lady's dignity. After changing her clothes, she snapped her fingers. In an instant, the candles lighting the room extinguished themselves. The moonlight shone on her pale, petite figure as she walked to her bed and laid down, getting ready to sleep.

"Hey, Noctis?" she asked.

"Yes, Louise?" he asked back, without moving his body an inch as he continued to stare outside the window.

"I recall you saying before that you were alone. What happened to your friends? Your world?" she asked.

…

…

…

Silence filled the room as Noctis pondered for a while before answering her question.

"… They're alive and well, but to them I am the King who paid with his life to rid the world of its scourge. Knowing that they yet live for another day is enough for me…" he said as a single tear fell down his left cheek.

"…and I miss them dearly." he said under his breath.

Louise saw the tear fall down his stoic face, but spoke nothing of it, trying not to break Noctis's solemn moment. She instead took a moment to make note of his flowing silver hair, unshaven face, and weary eyes, wondering about what he had gone through in the past that made him look that way. She then said her last words for the night before drifting off to sleep.

"Well then… I'll show you around the Academy tomorrow, but try not to make a scene as the other students do not know who you truly are. You better get some rest too, so… good night… Noctis." she said before she slumbered off.

"Good night… Louise." he said, as he looked on out to the fields bathed under the luminescence of the twin moons.

" _The age of kings and oracles has come to pass… but your adventures dawn on a new chapter, my friends. Walk tall._ "

* * *

 **ROYAL ARMS ENCYCLOPEDIA**

[ **Sword of the Father** ]

 _"A king was father to the Chosen One, and nurtured the light that would shine upon all creations. This was his mighty sword. It makes the great greater."_

* * *

 **ROYAL ARMS ENCYCLOPEDIA**

[ **Sword of the True** ] ( _Ultima Blade_ )

 _"A king had endured pain and sacrifice to ascend as the Chosen One, and shone the blessing of the Light upon all. This was his sword. It grows stronger with every foe it slays."_

* * *

 **Afterword**

All right! Fresh chapter off the oven after some criticisms from Chapter 2. While I may still borrow some plot points from the anime, we are pretty much off the canon now, at least in terms of the Louise-Noctis relationship. I also moved the duel with Guiche to the very night he was summoned, but calling it a duel is a stretch… an 'act of self-defense' is a bit more appropriate, for that matter. Next chapter will focus on Noctis's interaction with the Academy, and possibly a meeting with Principal Osmond and maybe Colbert.

Hopefully this chapter clears any doubt some readers had with the direction this story was going. Thank you again for reading my work! Until next time!


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